The disorder can affect anyone but is estimated to appear in as many as 5 to 7 percent of school-age children, according to the Auditory Processing Disorder Foundation, with boys diagnosed twice as often as girls.

Though APD awareness has increased in recent years, confusion about the disorder abounds. It can appear simultaneously with conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, so it’s important that those with APD symptoms get evaluated by an audiologist for proper diagnosis.

What Are the Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

In essence, APD is a learning and social-communication disability, not a hearing problem. In patients with APD, hearing thresholds are often normal, but the central nervous system has trouble processing what’s being heard. Symptoms typically appear at a young age and can range from mild to severe.

Some signs and symptoms include the following:

Difficulty listening or learning auditorily

Problems following multistep directions

Difficulty with reading, spelling, or academics

Problems filtering out background noise

Hypersensitivity to or reduced tolerance for noise

Frequent mishearing or misunderstanding of speech

Difficulty understanding muffled, fast, or distorted speech

Problems remembering what was heard

Problems distinguishing between similar speech sounds

Difficulty organizing verbal information

Problems with oral and written expression

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

A trained audiologist is uniquely qualified to diagnose APD. In addition to conducting an initial exam to ensure the ears are healthy and to rule out hearing acuity problems, the audiologist performs special tests to assess the brain’s various auditory processing functions. The specific selection of tests will depend on the patient’s age, symptoms, cognitive status, and other factors.

How Is the Disorder Treated?

Just as every person is different, so are the treatments for APD. What may work for one person may not be the most effective approach for another.

Treatment starts with a careful diagnosis by an audiologist and is individualized to the patient and his or her auditory challenges.

Typically, APD management or treatment involves one or more of the following approaches:

Modifying the learning or communication environment to reduce barriers to listening